| E-MAIL NEWSLETTER | November, 2003 |  |
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Dear Friend,
Thank you for supporting the first Prematurity Awareness Day. Many of you took time out to visit marchofdimes.com, click on the hospital band and help us to achieve our goal of raising $150,000 to support research. We look forward to your continued support throughout the year as we battle prematurity and birth defects. This month's Personal Spotlight features the story of Lori. After
losing one twin early in her pregnancy, she gave birth to Kayla
14 weeks early. Because you are part of the March of Dimes family,
we're sharing this story with you, as well as important information
on:
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| Visit marchofdimes.com
to read more. Share your comments, suggestions and feedback on this newsletter by e-mailing newsletter@marchofdimes.com |
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| Dear March of Dimes, |
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I am mother to a 3-year-old who was born
14 weeks early due to placenta previa. I was working midnights and
it was lunch break, I couldn't eat anything because my glucose test
was the next morning. I was sitting in the break room when all of
a sudden I stood up and felt a gush of liquid. I thought to myself,
"This can't be my water breaking, I'm nowhere close to being
due." I looked down expecting to see water, but instead I saw
lots of blood. Luckily, one person who had just walked into the break
room left to call 911. I was in shock, to say the least. All my co-workers
rushed to where I had dropped to the floor. I never lost consciousness,
but I was in hysterics.
This was my first pregnancy after trying for 6 years and having to go to a fertility clinic for injections. I got pregnant on the first try with twins, one of whom I lost at 9 weeks gestation. I had spotting on and off for the rest of the pregnancy. When I had my first ultrasound (exactly one month prior to Kayla's birth), it showed that I had a low-lying placenta. I was measuring larger than my gestation and told that I'd need to be watched so I didn't have a 9-lb. baby. The paramedics saved my daughter's life and mine also. They decided to take me to a hospital a bit farther away that had a NICU in case my bleeding couldn't be stopped. When I arrived at the hospital they told me that my baby's heart rate was fine and I was showing contractions on the monitor. The OB on call requested an ultrasound, but the tech was 45 minutes away. I started to bleed again, and my baby's heart rate was dropping, so the OB decided it was time to get her out. My husband was 3 hours away when all this was happening, and with the help of two Indiana state troopers escorting him most of the way, he made it to the hospital only five minutes after Kayla was born. Kayla weighed 1 lb 12.5 oz and was 13 inches long. She spent the next 4 1/2 months in the NICU. Today, she is a happy healthy 3-year-old that, THANK the LORD ABOVE, has no health problems and is the joy of our life. I participated in WalkAmerica in April in Highland, Indiana, and will walk again for years to come. I am so grateful for the research that the March of Dimes has done and is doing today in hopes that the number of premature births can be lowered or some day eliminated. If it wasn't for research, I don't know if Kayla would have done as well as she did in the NICU. Sincerely, |
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JUST FOR DAD
Becoming a Dad
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| March of Dimes urges support of PREEMIE ACT at
Capitol Hill News Conference “Today, on behalf of the 3 million volunteers and 1400 staff of the March of Dimes working in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, I commend Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) for their leadership in authoring the 'PREEMIE Act' S. 1726. This proposal, if enacted, would authorize expansion of research into the causes and prevention of prematurity and would also increase federal support for education and services related to prematurity," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes.  |
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Regards and Happy Thanksgiving, Editor Miracles Online March of Dimes |
| This online newsletter is sponsored by the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. For more information about the March of Dimes, visit our Web site at marchofdimes.com. This newsletter is for information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, 2003 |
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| HOW YOU CAN HELP | ||
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Have you found this newsletter interesting? Please consider making a secure online tax deductible donation today to help save babies! Click here. |
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MARCH OF DIMES Images of America  This new book traces the history of the March of Dimes: from its founding, to the conquering of polio and the transition to infant health. In 128 pages, more than 200 rare photographs convey the sense of urgency, courage, and purpose that volunteers, scientists and medical professionals, celebrities, and staff bring to the March of Dimes mission. From Iron Lungs and Dime Cards, Polio Pioneers and the Salk Vaccine, FDR and Elvis Presley, to WalkAmerica and the Prematurity Campaign, the significance and impact of the March of Dimes is presented as never before. To purchase the book for $19.99 plus S&H or for more information. Click here |
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 Join others in the fight to defeat premature birth, so every baby can get a healthy start.
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| A MOTHER'S STORY | ||
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Send us your birth story. Miracles is always looking for new childbirth stories for our e-mail newsletter. If you would like to share your personal story, please e-mail us. We can't guarantee that every story will be used. |
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| TIP OF THE MONTH | ||
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Drug Warning The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved several generic versions of the acne drug Accutane (isotretinoin). All forms of this drug pose the same high risk of birth defects as Accutane and should never be used by pregnant women. |
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